Too Much That Time Cannot Erase
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Post-series, my Pendulum Swings verse. After the latest defeat of the Big 5, Mokuba finds himself wondering whether Lector ever actually cared about him and Seto, since Lector helped raise them but then betrayed them. He isn't expecting Yami Marik to suddenly kidnap him to the Shadow Realm so he can ask in person. Now everyone else must journey to the heart of darkness to find him.
1. Chapter 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh!**

 **Too Much That Time Cannot Erase**

 **By Lucky_Ladybug**

 **Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This picks up shortly after my story** _ **Static Code Analysis**_ **and is kind of a follow-up to explore some things touched on at the end of it.**

 **Chapter One**

Mokuba frowned to himself as he sat at his desk with his homework. He was trying to concentrate, but every few minutes his mind wandered again. Finally he threw the pencil to the desk and groaned, digging his fingers into his hair. It was hopeless.

The recent misadventure with the Big Five had really dug deep into Mokuba's heart and soul. He had been furious at them going after Seto again, and being used against Seto again, and the memories the experience had dredged up would not leave him alone. Now he was left with a desperate longing to talk to Lector and demand to know if he had ever cared. None of the others had, but at one time Mokuba had thought Lector did.

Still, it wasn't like there was any way for Mokuba to talk to Lector and ask him and get closure. Atem and Yami Bakura had sent all of the Big Five to the Shadow Realm, where they could no longer torment Seto or anyone else. And while Mokuba was glad they were out of the way, he still longed for the closure he could not have.

He frowned. Maybe it was better not to have it. What if Lector said he truly had cared once, but no longer did? Or what if he said he never had? Which would be worse? Considering all the cruel things Lector had both done and supported, Mokuba honestly wasn't sure.

He certainly couldn't talk to Seto about it. The Big Five was always a touchy subject for Seto, and he definitely didn't believe that Lector had ever cared. Mokuba had brought up the subject right after their defeat, anyway. He didn't imagine that talking about it a second time would be any different than the first time. And he didn't want to cause Seto any more pain. Seto had been through more than enough already.

He crossed his arms on the desk and laid his head against them. "This is stupid," he muttered to himself. "I knew a long time ago that Lector really couldn't care. Why is it bothering me so much now? Why does it matter?" But tears pricked his eyes regardless of his words, and since he was alone, for the moment he didn't even try to brush them away.

"Why?" a voice seemed to whisper in the room. "Because it's one straw too many, little Mokuba. After holding it together so well for so long, you're finally about to crack. But I can help you so you don't."

Mokuba leaped up so fast the chair fell over. "What's going on?!" he demanded. "How did you get in here?!"

A dark laugh. "You should know by now that I don't need a door."

"And why should I even believe you?!" Mokuba cried. "You've never caused us anything but trouble!"

"Maybe, but you know I am capable of helping you obtain your desire."

"I also know you'd never do it unless you thought it was going to cause more trouble!" Mokuba ran for the door as the figure began to materialize. "I'm out of here!"

He never made it. Instead the intruder grabbed him from behind and pulled him back, clutching him close. Then, even as the boy struggled and screamed, they both disappeared.

xxxx

Bakura smiled to himself as he entered the living room and found Yami Bakura sitting in the windowseat with a book. He seemed to be thoroughly involved in whatever horror adventure he was reading at the moment, but Bakura was sure he was actually attentive enough to hear sounds around him. Once, Bakura had tripped and Yami Bakura had immediately snapped to, reaching to catch him without batting an eye. He was excellent at multi-tasking, which was, Bakura supposed, logical when he had been a thief.

Bakura had been initially surprised at how much his ancestor enjoyed reading. Yami Bakura had been surprised too, when he had first picked up a book out of idle curiosity. But, as he had put it, it was something to do to pass the time and to learn about all manner of things, both important and trivial. He had always believed in gaining knowledge. And sometimes, honestly, he just liked a good escape.

He was in his form from mortality at the moment, and wearing both his favorite red robe and some knee-length shorts he had acquired recently. He had discovered that he far preferred shorts to full-length trousers when he was in this form. Bakura had to chuckle to himself. He probably liked showing off his legs and his ankle bracelets. The man was very vain.

He had been spending less time in this form of late. Overall, he liked appearing more as Bakura's contemporary, as he had said. But sometimes he still liked to revisit his mortal form, or probably more specifically, the muscle he had with it. Thief King Bakura was bigger and stronger than his descendant. But he was thoroughly protective in both forms, and Bakura felt completely safe with him, which was something he had once thought would never be the case.

Yami Bakura looked up over the top of the book. "What is it?"

Bakura started. "Oh . . . nothing. I was just thinking about things." He came over and sat in the windowseat. "It won't be long and that tournament will start."

Yami Bakura gave an absent nod. He was certainly wondering how that would turn out. It would be his first attempt at entering the world of professional Duelists. They had both thought it might be a good career choice for him. They would soon see.

"I know Joey is entering as well," Bakura said. "I wonder if Mai will."

A shrug. "I don't know if she has enough confidence in herself yet to enter a tournament that Joey will be in. If she doesn't, perhaps Joey will convince her to enter."

Bakura smiled. "I'm sure he would."

Yami Bakura leaned back, keeping his finger in the book to mark his place. From his eyes, he was far away and thoughtful. What he was thinking about was anyone's guess.

"Yami?"

He started at the sound of Bakura's voice. "What is the Shadow Realm like?"

That certainly kept his attention. He stared at the boy. "What?"

Bakura flushed. "I mean . . . well, I know it's the darkness, but it seems to be an actual physical place, with horrible creatures like those Shadow Leeches that drain people's memories. . . ."

Yami Bakura frowned at him. "You've been there, you know."

"I know . . . but I really don't remember much about that time," Bakura said. "It feels like a long-ago dream that has mostly faded."

"Then be glad of it," Yami Bakura grunted. He opened the book again.

Bakura could see that he didn't want to talk about it. From the look in his eyes, something regarding it was haunting him.

"I'm sorry," Bakura said now. "It must have been a terrible experience, being there. And it must have been even worse when you had to worry about me."

"Yes," Yami Bakura said flatly. "On both accounts."

Bakura laid a hand on his shoulder and stood. "Dinner should be almost ready," he said. "I'll go check on it."

Yami Bakura gave a grunt of approval and a nod.

Bakura let him go back to his book.

xxxx

Tristan was deep in thought as he rode his motorcycle through town that night. So deep in thought he didn't even notice Marik coming from another direction until they were almost on top of each other. Stunned, they each swerved to avoid a collision.

"Marik!" Tristan quickly took off his helmet. "Are you okay, man?!"

"Fine." Marik also removed his helmet. "What on Earth is the problem, Tristan? I don't think you even saw me right in front of you!"

Tristan sighed. "I didn't. Sorry. I guess I've just got my mind on a lot of things."

Marik leaned on the handlebars. "Anything I can help you with?"

Tristan hesitated. They weren't that close, really, although they shared a love of motorcycles and could talk shop for hours. Sometimes they raced, much to Ishizu's alarm. But maybe seriously talking to Marik was a good idea. He might have some idea where Tristan was coming from.

"Yeah, maybe so," he said. "Let's go to that restaurant over there and talk. My treat."

Marik blinked in surprise. "It really must be bothering you."

Tristan shrugged. "I don't know if I'd say that, exactly, but it's sure been on my mind."

Soon they were comfortably situated in a booth. Marik was enjoying a salad, while Tristan relished a large cheeseburger. After a few bites, Marik looked up. "Alright. Now, what's been occupying your mind so deeply?"

Tristan sighed. "I guess I've just been thinking overtime about how crazy everything's been. And I know crazy things have been happening ever since I met Yugi. I wouldn't change meeting him for anything. But . . . I don't know, the last weeks have been hard to take in."

"Are you thinking about Yami Bakura?" Marik asked.

Tristan froze. Well, he should have remembered Marik was never one to beat around the bush. ". . . Yeah." He pushed a stray piece of tomato back into the burger. "I mean, he tried to conquer the world! Now he's our friend. I actually want him to be my friend! How nuts is that?"

Marik smirked a bit, but in a self-depreciating way. "Is it any more nuts than considering me a friend after I nearly destroyed all of you?"

"No, I guess not. Only I don't really think of Yami Marik as you. He's someone else again."

"I did horrible things too," Marik said quietly. "It took you and I a while to really connect. I didn't tell Yami Bakura because he didn't ask and I knew you had wanted to keep it secret. After all, with the Pharaoh trying to recover his lost memories and then faced with saying Goodbye to everyone, there was so much more at stake than your feelings of distrust. You didn't want to burden anyone with your inner struggle over meeting me again."

"That's true." Tristan looked away. "And I know Yami Bakura is not the same guy who did all the rotten things to us. Now that he's been left to himself without either Zorc or the Millennium Ring, I can see who he really is. And while on the one hand it's still hard to take in, on the other hand . . . I feel like a crumb for not recognizing it sooner. We almost lost him in that fire. What if we had? Shadi never said what would happen if the body generated by the Infinity Ring died. I know he kind of died during that White Death mess, but that wasn't the same thing since it was an enchanted death that could be broken. What if he really died? Would he get another chance because of that battle he's supposed to fight in? Or would that be it? What if he had died thinking he'd see Bakura again, only Bakura wasn't dead and he would've come just a few minutes later. . . ." He glowered at the table. "I keep thinking it should have been me in the fire and Yami Bakura going to find a Water Duel Monster."

"I don't think that would have worked," Marik said quietly. "We needed Yami Bakura because he had the Infinity Ring. He used that as a compass to guide us to the exit. The fire was too thick and the building too confusing to make it through there without it."

"Yeah," Tristan relented. "You're probably right."

"And he's alright. I know it's tempting to keep thinking of the 'What ifs.' Heaven knows I still do it sometimes. But you have to remind yourself that everything turned out okay. Something was protecting him from the fire. Something wanted him to live."

"That something was his little sister," Tristan said. "I heard him and Bakura talking about it in the van."

Marik blinked in surprise. "I didn't even know he had a sister."

"I didn't either. She must have died with the rest of the village." Tristan paused. ". . . You've been trying to help me with my problems, but what about yours?"

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Mine?"

"You acted pretty distracted on the road tonight too," Tristan pointed out. "So what were you thinking about?"

It was Marik's turn to sigh. "I'm worried about Mokuba," he admitted. "He's been so quiet and withdrawn since everything happened. I don't know if it's because of Yami Bakura or something else. He was devastated when it looked like Yami Bakura was dead after he saved us. But he was also upset about being used against his brother again, and angry that his brother's game had been turned into something deadly."

"That's a lot for a kid to be thinking about," Tristan said.

Marik nodded. "I've become protective of Mokuba, as Kaiba is, of course. I think about all the anger and pain that built up inside of me and I don't want that fate to befall Mokuba. I don't want him to ever walk a path like I did."

"I can't picture that ever happening to Mokuba," Tristan said. "No offense."

"I don't want to believe it," Marik agreed, "but anyone can fall prey to dark feelings, especially if they have a lot to deal with."

"Didn't you ask Mokuba what he was upset about?" Tristan asked.

"Of course I did," Marik retorted. "He said he was upset about 'a lot of stuff' and he didn't want to talk about it. I tried to encourage him to talk to Kaiba, and he said he didn't want to bother his brother about it."

Tristan winced. "Yeah. . . . That's not good."

"I went to KaibaCorp to talk to Kaiba about it," Marik said, "but I couldn't get in to see him. He was on a conference call to Germany. I left a message with his secretary and left."

Tristan sighed. "So, what now?"

Marik took out his phone and looked at it. "Well, he hasn't called back. By now Mokuba should be in bed. Kaiba insisted he stay home and study for some test he has at school tomorrow. I'm half-tempted to go back to the manor and ask Velma if he went to bed, but I don't want to risk disturbing him by being at the door."

"Yeah, maybe it'd be better to go home and wait on it," Tristan said. "I'm sure Kaiba can sort out whatever's going on in Mokuba's head."

"The problem is, they don't talk to each other that much about things that upset them," Marik pointed out. "Neither of them want to burden the other."

"Ho boy." Tristan sighed. "And the irony is, they'd both do so much better if they talked. Right?"

Marik nodded. "Ishizu and Rishid and I always talk about our problems. . . . Although I'll admit it's hard to get Rishid to want to. He doesn't like to burden us or worry us or make us sad. We have to practically twist his arm and let him know we want him to talk."

"And it works?" Tristan blinked.

"Eventually," Marik nodded.

The sudden ringing of his phone startled him. He took one look at the caller I.D. and answered. "Hello? Kaiba?"

He went stiff and pale in the next moment. "Are you sure?!" He listened, then said, "I'll be right over."

Tristan was staring at him as he hung up. "Well?!" he exclaimed. "What the heck, Marik?! What was that all about?!"

Marik gave him a look that only barely concealed how frantic he was. "Kaiba just got home," he reported. "Mokuba is missing without a trace!"

xxxx

Seto was beside himself. It had been a long day at the office, made even longer by having to take a call from Siegfried von Schroeder. Now he got home only to discover that his beloved brother had completely vanished. There was no video footage of him leaving the house—not that he didn't know how to bypass the cameras if he really wanted to. But would he have wanted to? Seto couldn't believe it, not unless Mokuba went to KaibaCorp, and he hadn't.

He knew Mokuba had been out of sorts lately. The boy hadn't returned to his usual cheerful self after the disaster with the Big Five had ended, although he had certainly been glad that they had all come out of things alive. Maybe he was still haunted by the sight of Yami Bakura being struck down by a beam in that burning building. Or he could be smarting from the Big Five using him and Seto's game in cruel ways. Possibly even all of the above and something else.

Seto stiffened. Mokuba had expressed sorrow about Lector having turned against them and wondering if he had ever truly cared. Could he still be thinking about that? Seto wouldn't have thought so, but Mokuba didn't often share his pain with Seto. It had been a surprise when Mokuba had started talking about that after the Big Five's defeat. He could still be upset about it and not have said anything.

Seto clenched a fist almost tightly enough to draw blood. Couldn't the Big Five ever leave them alone? They had done more than enough damage already, but now their cruelty was extending even beyond their schemes.

He had to admit, he had never put a great deal of thought into whether or not Lector had really cared. He had always thought Lector looked after them because it was part of his duty as Gozaburo's right-hand man, and when Lector had betrayed them, Seto had been sure of it. Maybe Seto would have thought Lector cared had he been a naive child, but by the time Gozaburo had adopted them he had already grown up a good deal. He had known that people usually only helped others to further their own interests and rarely ever genuinely cared about anyone. Gozaburo had drilled that lesson into him all the more until he could never forget it or consider other possibilities.

Only Yugi and the others had shown him a different attitude and way of life, and even though he had resisted, it had penetrated just as deeply as Gozaburo's teachings. He knew they were sincere, and after all the time they had spent together, he actually wanted them around and wished that he still believed in people the way they did. Occasionally it backfired, but usually it opened the way for others to have a change of heart and join with them.

Seto badly wanted their help now. He took out his phone, dialing the Game Shop.

"Hello?" Yugi answered after a moment, not having any idea who was on the other end.

"Yugi, Mokuba's missing," Seto greeted. He saw no need for formalities like "Hello" under the circumstances.

Immediately Yugi snapped to. "What?! Oh no! Do you think someone took him?!"

"I don't know. There's no evidence that anyone came in and no one saw Mokuba go out. I thought maybe he went to see you."

"He's not here," Yugi frowned. "But we'll start looking for him right away! We won't give up until we've found him!"

"Thank you, Yugi." Seto hung up, badly troubled. In spite of himself, even though he had long ago stopped knowing what he thought about God, he prayed desperately for Mokuba's safety.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The Shadow Realm was all at once a horrible and frightening place. The darkness was all around them, pulsating, watching, feeling. . . . Mokuba had the sense that it was actually alive, relishing the arrivals of a favorite cruel being and a newcomer. If Hell was real, could it be any worse than this? Or maybe this _was_ Hell. He couldn't see or sense any other people, but they must be here—various victims who had been sent here through the ages and had no way to return home. . . .

Terror gripped the boy's heart, but he pushed it down. He could not show it, not around the one who had brought him. Instead he struggled, forcing his way out of his abductor's grip. "What did you bring me here for?!" he cried. "What do you even want with me, you big creep?!"

An amused sneer, the teeth gleaming even whiter against the blackness of the world around them. "Oh, and here I thought you would enjoy spending some quality time with me," he mocked.

Mokuba scowled. "You're not Marik," he spat. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Yami Marik only grinned more. "Then perhaps you would like to have that conversation with Lector. He's here, you know."

"Where?!" Mokuba shot back with a frown.

"I think I'll let you find him," Yami Marik smiled. "You should be able to. Walk around and listen for his voice. Those five are always arguing, trying to think of a way out of this mess so they can go take their revenge on everyone they hate. It's quite amusing."

"They're all sick," Mokuba spat. "And so are you!"

Yami Marik stuck out his tongue. "I know." Then he was gone, fading into the living darkness.

Mokuba was all at once left to himself. "Good riddance," he grumbled. But in actuality, now he was even more afraid. It was bad enough trying to traverse a place like this with a hated enemy. How would he ever do it on his own?

The shadows moved closer to him, touching his arm with wispy, spindly fingers. Mokuba screamed, batting at them with his other hand. "Go away, go away!"

The shadows rocked back, then slowly closed in around him, trying to wrap him in an almost snake-like embrace. Terrified, Mokuba broke into a run, desperate to break through it and flee to safety. But where was there any safety here? Even as he did indeed break free of the darkness, he could feel it coming after him, touching the ends of his hair, his back. . . .

"Get me out of here!" he cried, shutting his eyes tightly as he ran.

Of course, Yami Marik did not come back. He was probably watching everything, not wanting to miss a moment of the misery, but he wasn't about to interfere and stop it.

Finally Mokuba slowed and then stopped, drawing a shaking breath. Running was getting him nowhere. The scenery never changed. The darkness was always there, surrounding him, closing in on him. Maybe his distress was even making it worse. But if he held still and listened, there were faint voices all around him. Maybe Lector's was one of them.

By now Mokuba was angry at himself for thinking so much about Lector's betrayal. If he hadn't been, maybe Yami Marik wouldn't have taken him away. Seto would have no idea what had happened to him. He would be worried sick! And now Mokuba was trapped, without any way back. Yami Marik would never return him. And if there was any loophole out of here, Lector would be sure to use it to get himself and the rest of the Big Five back to the real world to continue their revenge plot. Maybe they would even take Mokuba with them to further use him against Seto.

On the other hand . . .

Mokuba frowned. The Big Five were all spirits here. None of them could take hold of him. Maybe he had a certain advantage over them to that effect.

As long as he was stuck here, he would like to find Lector and talk to him. On the way, he would try to hear what the other voices were saying. Maybe he would find some clue on how to escape and get home.

 _Please help me,_ he prayed in his heart.

And although the darkness still remained, Mokuba found that now he didn't feel all alone.

xxxx

Yami Bakura came for dinner within seconds of Bakura setting it on the table. He loved to read, but he loved food even more. Unlike his usual manner of ripping into the meal like a wild animal, however, he actually cut off a piece of meat normally and looked at Bakura in concern. "Why did you ask about the Shadow Realm?" he demanded.

Bakura looked down. "I shouldn't have, Yami. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, really. All of a sudden it just popped into my head that we always have encounters with that horrible place and I don't even remember what it's like."

"Why would you _want_ to remember?" Yami Bakura retorted.

Bakura sighed. "I suppose because it's something that happened to me. Somehow it feels so . . . uncomfortable and eerie to think that there's something that happened to me that I just don't remember."

"You didn't want to remember the mess with the White Death." Yami Bakura kept eating, picking up the pace a bit, but still not going completely feral.

"I certainly didn't, because I had deliberately blocked it out. But after a while I wasn't sure what was worse: knowing or not knowing." Bakura was eating perfectly politely, of course.

Yami Bakura grunted.

"Yami . . ." Suddenly Bakura looked and sounded afraid. "Why don't I remember? Did I deliberately block that out too?!"

Silence. "No."

"Then why on Earth . . ." Bakura trailed off, his hand trembling as he held the fork. Shakily, he placed the food in his mouth.

Yami Bakura didn't offer an answer. He put his entire attention to the food.

"Oh Yami, please tell me," Bakura begged. ". . . Unless it's too terrible a memory for you. . . ." He frowned. He should have realized. Yami Bakura's behavior clearly showed he wanted none of the topic. He would only act like that if what had happened was absolutely haunting and horrible.

"It is," Yami Bakura grunted.

"Then I will respect that," Bakura said softly.

Yami Bakura looked up at him, his eyes a mixture of surprise, relief, and feeling touched. "Thank you, Bakura," he said quietly.

Bakura smiled, but at the same time he felt a sharp stabbing in his heart. Aloof behavior _and_ a thank you? Not to mention actually eating like a civilized person? Whatever was he concealing?

"I do wish you could eat like this more often, especially if we're in public," he implored.

Yami Bakura shrugged. "I know." He was all business. He paused, then added, "I will try."

If Bakura wasn't so worried, he would have been overjoyed.

"Yami, I'm so sorry I ever brought this up," he said finally. "I had no idea it would dredge up such a painful memory for you."

"Of course not," Yami Bakura grunted. "How would you?"

That logic didn't make Bakura feel better.

They finished dinner before the phone rang. Yami Bakura glowered at it. His manners had certainly improved, but he still didn't particularly like answering the phone. Bakura picked up the receiver instead. "Hello?"

"Hi, Bakura." It was Téa, and she sounded worried.

"Oh," Bakura exclaimed. "Is something wrong?"

"Mokuba's missing!" Téa told him. "Kaiba has no idea where he is! We're all going out to help look and we hoped you guys could help too."

"Of course," Bakura assured her. "We'll be right there." He hung up, fretting over the disturbing news. "Oh my. . . . Whatever could have happened?!"

"About what?" Yami Bakura retorted.

Bakura looked to him. "Mokuba is missing! We must help look for him!"

Yami Bakura frowned. "He certainly has plenty of reason to go missing. He may be sulking somewhere, mulling over everything that has happened in the past weeks."

"Or someone may have taken him," Bakura said. "People are always after Kaiba." He hurriedly took the dishes to the sink. "We should leave right now!"

"Before rinsing?" Yami Bakura eyed the plates. "They'll get stuck on."

Sighing, Bakura quickly rinsed and set the plates in the dishwasher. "Now, please, Yami! Let's go!" he implored.

Yami Bakura grabbed the van keys off the rack and headed for the garage. "Very well."

xxxx

Marik and Tristan were the first to arrive at the Kaiba Manor. Seto was tense, having been all over the property in search of the missing boy. The servants were still looking, but from Seto's expression, he didn't hold out much hope. He didn't believe Mokuba was on the grounds.

"Has there been any news at all?" Marik asked in concern.

"Well, I can tell you that it looks like he stopped his homework abruptly," Seto said. "The worksheet was only half-finished and the pen was thrown to the desk."

"How do you know it was thrown?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's a splotch of ink on the paper right near the tip of the pen, as though it hit the page on end before falling over," Seto said.

Marik frowned. "If he stopped that abruptly, he must have been very upset."

"Or someone really did interrupt him," Seto said. "Only how did they get in?! There's no evidence of a break-in or anyone tampering with the security system!" He clenched a fist, his hand shaking.

Silence fell as they all mulled over the problem. Then, quietly, Marik said, "The only way I know of is if they didn't need to break in or tamper with the security system."

The other boys stared at him.

"You mean an inside job?!" Tristan exclaimed.

"Maybe," Marik said. "Or a magical being."

Seto's expression contorted in frustration. "Why does it always have to be magic?!"

Marik sighed. "It doesn't have to be," he said. "Maybe it is an inside job."

"I've known all of my staff for years," Seto said. "They wouldn't still be here if I didn't trust them implicitly!"

"Even that creepy Hobson guy?" Tristan spoke up. "He gave me the chills when I met him."

"He obeys whoever's got the money," Seto said. "I have no reason to believe he'll turn against me." He frowned. "But obviously I'll have to run checks on every one of my servants' whereabouts in the last hour." He looked to Marik. "And I won't rule out the possibility of magic, no matter how distasteful it is to me. Who might want to take Mokuba that has magic?"

"I don't know," Marik admittedly helplessly. "Unless . . ." He swallowed hard.

"Who?!" Seto demanded, an edge creeping into his voice.

"The demon I created," Marik practically whispered.

Tristan rocked back. "Oh no! He really might!"

Seto just stared at Marik. From his expression, he was both swiftly coming to believe the idea and finding it overwhelmingly horrible. "But where?!" he burst out. "Where would he take Mokuba?!"

"I don't know!" Marik cried. "I don't even know _why_ he would take Mokuba, except to cause chaos and mayhem!"

"Hey, for him, that would be plenty of reason right there," Tristan said.

Marik ran a hand through his hair. "Mokuba has been upset about a lot of things lately, but he wouldn't tell me what they were and he didn't want to tell Kaiba about them."

"I know," Seto said darkly. "For one thing, he may still be upset about Lector. . . ." He trailed off. "What if that thing would take Mokuba to talk to Lector?!"

Marik stared at him in horror. "To the Shadow Realm?!"

"To wherever Lector is," Seto said through clenched teeth. He still didn't like having to acknowledge the existence of that plane.

"Mokuba would never go with him willingly, no matter how much he wanted to talk to Lector," Marik frowned. "But he would certainly abduct Mokuba if it would help him achieve his goals."

"Then we've gotta go to the Shadow Realm and get him out!" Tristan cried.

"We don't even know if that's where he is!" Seto shot back. "We should keep looking in this dimension first!"

The ringing of the doorbell distracted him long enough to go over and answer it, not bothering to wait for Velma or Hobson. Yugi, Atem, Joey, Téa, and Solomon were standing there, all looking worried.

"Hi, Kaiba," Yugi greeted. "Any news yet?"

"You're answering your own doors now?" Joey blinked.

Seto just held the door open farther and didn't acknowledge Joey's comment. "We're trying to brainstorm now," he said. "There's a possibility that Mokuba was abducted by . . ." He grimaced. "By that creature Yami Marik."

Everyone gasped.

"Why would Yami Marik take him?!" Téa exclaimed.

"Just to cause anguish and misery," Seto said. "The question is, where would he take him?"

"That could be anywhere," Atem said grimly.

"Oh? Well, what if they went to that Shadow Realm place or wherever it was that you and the thief sent the Big Five?" Seto retorted. "Mokuba has been upset lately, and some of it may be because he's still remembering that Lector helped raise us and he's wondering if Lector ever really cared. Not that it really matters if Lector did. But maybe he couldn't stop thinking about it regardless and that thing decided to take advantage of it!"

The newcomers all stared at him in horror.

"Mokuba, in the Shadow Realm?" Téa's eyes were wide.

"Oh no," Atem said in alarm. "That's no place for a child!"

"It's no place for anyone!" Joey exclaimed. "If he's in there, we've gotta go and get him out!"

"But what if he's here instead?" Seto shot back. "We shouldn't all go running off to the Shadow Realm thinking we'll find him there!"

"Then maybe we should split up," Yugi suggested. "Some of us will go to the Shadow Realm and some of us will look for Mokuba here!"

Bakura and Yami Bakura were just approaching the still-open door as this was said. "Then we'll look here," Yami Bakura declared.

Bakura looked to him with a start, and yet after the experience at dinner, he really wasn't surprised. "Yami . . ." But then he smiled in agreement. "Alright."

Seto, however, frowned. "You probably know more about the Shadow Realm than any of the rest of us, including the Pharaoh," he pointed out. "And yet you won't go there?"

"No," Yami Bakura growled. "I will not."

Atem gave him a curious look, but didn't push it. "It's alright, Kaiba," he said. "I know my way around the Shadow Realm very well. I can take anyone who wishes to go. However . . ." He looked from Seto to each of the others. "It is a very dangerous plane, as we all surely know. We must stay together and not allow the darkness to get hold of us. If it can get a foothold, it will. The Shadow Realm feeds on the darkness in each person's heart, much as Dartz's Leviathan did. If you allow it to feed for too long, you will be assimilated into the darkness. That is what eventually happens to anyone trapped there."

Joey stared at him, disturbed. "So . . . they become the darkness itself?"

"Yes." Atem gave a grim nod.

Joey frowned. "Mai would probably like to help, but I'm sure she wouldn't wanna go there. I wouldn't want her to, either. I'd like to, though."

"We might all end up there eventually," Atem said. "If Mokuba can't be found in any logical place in Domino City, and if a ransom note is not received, the Shadow Realm might be the best place to look."

"How will we even decide who goes where?" Téa worried.

"Oh, I can make that very easy."

Everyone jumped a mile. Yami Marik had suddenly appeared in their mist with a sneer, his arms folded.

"So it _was_ you!" Marik cried in outrage. "Why?!"

Seto took a step forward. "You'd better bring my brother back," he snarled. "What did Mokuba ever do to you?!"

"Why, nothing, of course," Yami Marik laughed. "But I won't be bringing him back. If you want him, you'll just have to go and get him."

"Is he in the Shadow Realm?!" Atem demanded.

"Yes, he is!" Yami Marik's expression twisted in a grotesque manner. "Maybe he's found Lector, maybe not. Maybe you shouldn't have sent him there, Pharaoh!"

"He had to do something to lock the Big Five away!" Yugi cried indignantly.

Yami Bakura was hanging back, a fist clenched, a haunted look in his eyes. "If they're going to the Shadow Realm, we'll still have to hold back and wait for them here," he told Bakura. "We cannot follow."

Bakura looked to him with a start. "But we have to help find Mokuba!" he exclaimed. "Yami, I know something horrible must have happened in the past, but we'll just have to pray it doesn't happen again. We can't leave that poor boy in such a ghastly place!"

"There are more than enough people to look for him," Yami Bakura insisted. "We are not going!"

Yami Marik looked over, his eyes bloodshot in his anticipation for more chaos and misery. "What's the matter, Thief? You've been to the Shadow Realm before, and fairly recently too! I took us all there the time I extracted Bakura's soul and fired it at you!"

Everyone stared at him in thunderstruck shock.

"You did _what?!_ " Téa shrieked.

Yami Bakura gave him a dark look filled with fire boiling just under the surface. "That is not the same as wandering aimlessly through the realm, and we both know it," he said coldly. "Don't push me."

Yami Marik just stepped closer to him in sick delight. "I know," he whispered, "and I know what's really troubling you. I saw it all when I performed the mind probe on you during those glorious days filled with nothing but torturing you."

Yami Bakura shoved him away. "Be silent!" he snarled.

"Yami!" Bakura exclaimed in worry.

"Nevermind any of this!" Seto yelled over all of them. "Mokuba is in there and I'm going to get him out. You can come with me or not. I'll rescue him all on my own if I have to!"

"You won't have to," Atem said firmly. "We're going." Most of the others nodded in agreement.

Bakura looked to Yami Bakura with pleading yet firm eyes. "I want to help too, Yami. I know whatever you're worried about must involve me and why I can't remember, but surely I'll be alright if we all stay together. I don't want to crawl into a hole and hide to protect myself when my friends need me!"

Yami Bakura looked at him, then away, growling under his breath.

"Hey, what is this?" Tristan interjected. "You risked everything to help Mokuba before! What makes this any different than that fire?!"

Yami Bakura looked back to him with a start. "I risked myself, not Bakura. _That_ makes it different!"

"Let's go," Seto implored. "If they want to argue, they can stay behind. I am not leaving my brother in this mess for one minute longer than I have to!"

Atem nodded. "We need to save him as quickly as possible. But Bakura wanted to help as well. They can come later, if they agree on it." The Infinity Puzzled started to glow.

Yami Marik couldn't be more delighted. "Now you'll all be at the mercy of the very darkness itself!" he cackled.

Yami Bakura grabbed Bakura's arm. "We are not going with them," he insisted.

"Yami!" Bakura gripped his friend's arms. "I know I promised I wouldn't ask, but now that we know Mokuba is there, I think I must. What happened in the past? What is it I don't remember?"

Yami Bakura looked at him for a long moment. ". . . You were almost completely swallowed up by despair," he admitted at last. "The darkness started to claim you."

Bakura gasped. "Oh my. But . . . I'm alright now, Yami. . . . Somehow you must have helped me. . . ."

"Somehow," Yami Bakura agreed.

"So, how, exactly?" Tristan frowned.

Yami Bakura looked away. "That isn't important. What's important is that it might not work again!" He turned to Bakura, his eyes almost frantic. "You don't remember. You don't know what it was like watching you slowly become part of the darkness. I won't see that happen to you again. I won't!"

Bakura stood for a moment, considering that. Then, finally, he reached and embraced his friend. "It's different now, Yami," he said softly. "Back then, we weren't close. I must have felt so alone. But now I have you and all of the others as well. I won't give in to despair again. I couldn't!" He looked up at the man. "Everything will be alright. I promise! Please, I want to help find Mokuba!"

Yami Bakura hesitated for another long moment. He didn't like it, but it was true that things were different now. And he wanted to show that he trusted Bakura and respected his wishes.

"Fine," he snapped at last. "But if anything starts going wrong, I'm taking you out of there!"

Bakura smiled. "Thank you, Yami."

With that finally settled, Atem allowed the Puzzle to complete its task. The pleasant room faded to the blackness of the Shadow Realm.

Seto immediately took off running. "Mokuba!"

"Kaiba, wait for us!" Atem cried.

Everyone else gave chase.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: Khu is my character.**

 **Chapter Three**

He hated this place.

All of them did, of course. Being wandering spirits in the real world had been better than the virtual world, and it had certainly been better than this. This constant, insistent darkness that almost seemed alive was always tearing at them, pulling at them, trying to drag them into it and do who knew what to them. The more they resisted, the more determined it became.

They tried to look at this as just one more challenge, one more obstacle, and one more reason to hate Seto Kaiba and his friends. The Pharaoh had jumped to the top of their hate list now, as had Yami Bakura. Those two had deliberately sent them here to suffer in the darkness, and they would regret it.

If he was honest with himself, he was growing tired of this. Plot revenge, try to enact it, get beaten back and left off worse than before. It was an endless waltz, over and over, and he wanted to break the habit but didn't know how. He had come too far to turn back.

The others were all arguing again. In annoyance he stepped away from them, looking out through the neverending blackness of this mysterious realm. There were other people here, but he could never find them. He could hear them talking sometimes, calling out for others, moaning, talking about who they had been before they had been left here. At first he had wondered why they were telling their life stories. Unfortunately, the longer he was trapped here, the more he was beginning to understand. They weren't telling their stories to strangers who might be listening—they were telling them to themselves, to try to keep themselves from forgetting. The more the darkness closed in, the more their memories went. Someday, that would be him.

How had he fallen so far in his bitterness and hatred that now he was consigned to a fate like this? His life had once been relatively normal, and profitable, and he had believed it would continue to be so. But when he had met Seto and Mokuba, his life had started its downward spiral and he had never come out of it.

The last thing he was expecting was to hear footsteps running towards him from somewhere in the distance. He stepped forward, cautious, straining to look ahead into the purple clouds. "Hello?"

"Lector!"

He couldn't have been more shocked at the sound of Mokuba's voice. The boy ran out, stumbling to a halt in front of him.

"Mokuba?! What are you doing here?!" Lector demanded.

Mokuba stopped running and leaned forward, his hands on his knees. "Some jerk sent me here. It's a long story." He straightened, his eyes narrowed. "But I really did want to talk to you. I didn't get the chance when you took over the city."

Lector frowned down at him. "Talk to me? About what?"

"About everything." Mokuba looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Why, Lector? Why did you go along with all of this? I know you were mad at Seto, but . . . to take it as far as you did? Didn't you care about us at all? Was it all just an act? Or did you care and then just stopped?"

Lector looked away. "You shouldn't be here, Mokuba. If the others see you, they'll try to use you to escape to the real world."

"There is no way to escape to the real world!" Mokuba cried. "The only way out is if someone shows up to get me! And they don't even know I'm here!"

"Well, they'd better not find you anyway," Lector retorted. He gestured off to the side. "Go hide somewhere."

"Where?!" Mokuba shot back. "And what do you care anyway?! You just stood by and let Nesbitt torch the warehouse he dumped me and Marik and Duke and David in!"

"Don't argue with me!" Lector snapped. His voice had taken on an authoritative tone.

Mokuba flinched. From his expression, he recognized that tone all too well, from the days when Lector had helped raise him and Seto on Gozaburo's orders. But after everything that had happened, he didn't know what to make of it or whether or not to obey. Still, it was also clear that he knew it would not be a good thing for the others to learn he was here. He took a step back. "You'll probably tell them anyway."

"If I was going to tell them, why would I bother telling you to hide?" Lector pointed out.

Mokuba frowned. "I don't know."

"So just go," Lcctor said. "It's not like you have any choice but to follow my instructions."

"Yeah, I do," Mokuba said. "I can run away!" He turned to do just that.

"I'm the only one here you can turn to, little Mokuba," Lector said. "You can run, but you'll be back."

"You're no better than anyone else here," Mokuba said. "Maybe you're worse. And there's no one here who can help me get home."

"That's true," Lector said. "Once you're here, you can't get out."

Mokuba swallowed hard. He didn't want to be here forever. Seto would never get over it. Somehow he had to find a way back.

"You said you wanted to talk to me," Lector said, folding his arms. "Are you just going to leave and not try any more?"

"You didn't really answer my questions," Mokuba said quietly. "I figured you weren't going to."

Lector scowled and looked away. "I don't really know the answers anymore."

"If you have to ask . . . then you probably don't," Mokuba said. "I know you couldn't care about Seto. And what about me?"

Lector gave him a long, hard look. "Why do you even want to know? What's done is done."

Mokuba looked away. "If you really cared . . . that'd make it even worse, what you did. And I'd feel really crummy. But . . . I'd probably also wonder if there was any way to bring back the you who cared."

"Now that's all nonsense," Lector insisted.

Mokuba's shoulders slowly rose and fell. "I figured."

The sound of other voices startled them both. "The rest of the Big Five are coming," Lector hissed. "Go hide behind that rock!"

This time Mokuba complied. He had wanted to talk to Lector, not the rest of the group.

"What's going on, Lector?" Johnson intoned as they approached. "It sounded like you were arguing with someone."

"Now who would I be arguing with?" Lector countered.

"I don't know, but we definitely heard voices," Johnson said.

"That's right," Gansley agreed.

"Well, there are no shortage of those around here," Lector snapped. "Why should you be surprised if you heard some?"

Listening behind the rock, Mokuba had to frown to himself. It really was strange that Lector had ordered him to hide and wasn't telling the others about him. But maybe it was a trick, meant to bring Mokuba into a false sense of security and trust about him. He didn't want to fall for it.

Still . . . what if there really was more to it?

A memory flashed through his mind, of a time when he had wandered off in boyish curiosity in a shopping mall and Lector and Seto had spent close to an hour looking for him. Lector had been furious upon coming across him at last, playing with toy trains in a collectibles store.

" _What were you thinking, Mokuba?!" he demanded. "What would I have told your father if we hadn't found you?! What if you'd been kidnapped?!"_

" _I'm sorry," Mokuba sniffled. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. . . . I didn't. . . ."_

" _Of course you didn't," Seto spoke up. "We were both worried. Weren't we, Lector?"_

 _Lector stiffened, caught. "Yes," he finally admitted with an uncomfortable cough. "Worried."_

"Worried for your job or worried for me?" Mokuba muttered in the present.

He paused, listening as Lector continued to argue with the rest of the Big Five. They would be furious if they learned he had lied, so there wasn't any personal benefit for him in that. But still . . . how could Mokuba really trust him?

xxxx

The Shadow Realm was a horrible place. The living darkness was always pulsating, always reaching for everyone who had come, hoping to drag at least some of them down with it.

Yami Bakura insisted on Bakura going in front of him to try to keep him safer. He was very tense, constantly looking from one side to the other and furiously trying to ward off the dangerous tendrils.

Seto was calling for Mokuba almost non-stop. The longer he walked, the more frantic he became. How would a kid deal with a place like this? He knew Mokuba was strong, but this horror was tearing at his heart and soul, even after everything he had experienced. To think of what Mokuba must be going through, when he was all alone . . . !

Or was he alone? What if he had found the Big Five? What would they do to him? Would they all try to possess him? It was too horrible to think about, but now the image wouldn't leave Seto's mind. They had had no qualms about possessing Tristan; they certainly wouldn't care if they possessed Mokuba. Gansley and Nesbitt had each tried to kill him on different occasions.

Téa jumped a mile as the darkness grabbed for her with what looked like thin fingers. "What is it with this place?!" she shrieked. "How is the darkness alive?!"

"It's not the darkness," Atem said grimly. "It's the victims in the darkness."

"Isn't there any hope for any of them?!" Téa exclaimed.

"There is hope for anyone, if they can conquer the darkness in their hearts," Atem said. "These people have forgotten how to do that. Or some of them may have never known how."

"I wish we could help them all," Yugi said sadly.

"The first step towards conquering one's inner darkness," Atem said, looking to Yami Bakura, "is wanting to."

Yami Bakura didn't acknowledge that.

"How will we ever find Mokuba?!" Bakura exclaimed.

"You'd think he'd be nearby," Yami Bakura growled. "When being transported to the Shadow Realm, it's generally the same space, just a different plane. But perhaps that demon didn't take him to the same area. He may have left him wherever the Big Five currently are."

"There has to be a way to locate Mokuba quicker than this!" Seto snarled.

Atem paused. "We might be able to reach out to him if we all stop and concentrate," he said. "If we can establish a link with him, it might pull us towards him."

"Then let's do it!" Seto immediately demanded.

"Alright. Everyone gather in a circle and link hands," Atem directed. "Then close your eyes and concentrate on Mokuba. Imagine that you are sending a message to him and focus on that image. Don't let it go!"

Everyone obeyed, with no one trying harder than Seto. This was his little brother, the most important person in his life. He had to make contact! He had to let Mokuba know he was here, and to find where Mokuba was. He had to get his brother out of this Hellish place!

" _Seto!"_

Seto stiffened. "Did you hear that?!"

"I . . . felt something," Téa said slowly.

"Perhaps Kaiba is the only one who will actually hear Mokuba's voice," Atem said. "But I sensed him as well. Can he hear you, Kaiba?"

"I'm not sure," Seto frowned.

"I heard him too," Marik said. "I can't seem to have a conversation with him, but I can sense what direction we should go towards."

"So do I," Seto said. "Let's go diagonally left." He broke the circle and marched ahead.

Marik and the others hurried after him.

Yami Bakura was still tense. "Something isn't right," he growled.

Bakura looked to him in surprise. "What do you mean, Yami? Surely this isn't some kind of a trick of this realm!"

"No, I don't think so," Yami Bakura said. "But I'm sensing something aside from Mokuba, something dark and familiar. Something I never wanted to feel again."

Bakura was stunned. "But . . . what could that be?"

A tall man suddenly stepped out of the darkness, spear bared. His dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, while his long bangs fell partially over his violet eyes. A vicious scar on his cheek stood out against his tanned skin. He was dressed in the garb of ancient Egypt.

"Oh my," Bakura gasped.

"I thought once someone became part of the darkness, they couldn't come out again!" Téa exclaimed in shocked surprise. "From the looks of him, he's been in here a long time!"

The man sneered at her. "Those of strong will can keep their sense of self and their form, even in the darkness," he replied in perfect English.

Yami Bakura was standing stock-still, staring at him without speaking. Pain flashed through his eyes. "It is you," he said at last.

The newcomer tickled his chest with the spear. "And it's you, Bakura," he taunted. "So you're still around and you've taken up with these modern humans."

Yami Bakura reached and snatched the spear, holding it away from him. "I never wanted to see you again," he said, his voice pinched tight in his pain and hurt.

"Oh? Why?" The other Egyptian just looked amused and cruel. "Because I left you for dead after pretending to be your friend all those years ago?"

Bakura gasped in horror. "You're Khu!" he cried.

"What is all this?!" Seto burst out. "Where's Mokuba?!"

He was ignored.

Atem had been staring at the man as well. "Oh no," he gasped.

Khu looked to him. "Ah, my Pharaoh," he said with a mocking bow. "You're looking well too. It's a shame we never saw each other after you ascended to the throne."

Atem shook himself out of his daze. "I always thought you had been executed for trying to assassinate me," he said. "Mahad never spoke of it. . . ."

"He wouldn't have," Khu said flippantly. "It was a point of contention between him and Seto."

"Seto?!" Atem was further stunned. "What does he have to do with it?!"

"He allowed me to live," Khu said. "I was merely exiled from Egypt for my treachery against the Prince."

"That doesn't sound like Seto," Atem frowned.

"Not ordinarily," Khu agreed. "But it was different in this case." He looked to Seto. "Isn't that right . . . _brother?_ "

Seto's mouth dropped open. "You're not my brother!" he boomed.

Unruffled, Khu just shrugged. "Oh, that's right. You're our descendant." He smirked. "But you look almost exactly like him."

"I couldn't care less!" Seto snarled. "Get out of my way. I'm going to find _my_ brother!" He pushed past Khu and stormed off ahead.

"Kaiba!" Téa exclaimed. She chased after him.

"Wait!" Marik yelled. He ran after both of them.

Atem was still standing where he was, thunderstruck. "You and Seto are brothers?!" he gasped. "I thought Seto was Ahknadin's only child!"

"There are a lot of things you thought," Khu retorted.

"Well, we really don't have time for this right now," Yugi interjected. "The modern-day Seto is really worried about his brother Mokuba. He was brought here by a real creep and we're all trying to help find him!"

"That's right," Solomon spoke up. "So if you'll be so good as to let us pass . . ."

"By all means." Khu stepped aside. "Look for the little brat. Just don't expect to actually find him! And don't expect this is the only time you'll see me."

"I won't," Atem said coldly.

Yami Bakura glowered at Khu. "I never have settled my score with you," he said, holding Bakura's wrist to keep him as far away from Khu as possible. "But rest assured, I will."

To his alarm, Bakura leaned over him and glared at Khu as well. "I have a score to settle too!" he cried. "You almost killed Yami, after you made him think you were his friend!"

Khu looked to him in amusement. "Oh, that's right. You love that man."

"How do you even know that?!" Yami Bakura demanded.

"I have my ways," Khu smoothly answered.

"He would have been loyal to you forever!" Bakura spat. "You betrayed him for your revolution!"

"Hush," Yami Bakura snarled. "This conversation isn't worth having."

"Maybe not, but I'll still be watching you," Khu sneered before stepping back into the darkness and letting it cover him. His voice echoed eerily around them. "And when the time is right, I'll be back."

Everyone was left chilled by the encounter.

"Why that creep!" Joey burst out. "He's gonna be sorry he ever showed his face around here!"

"Unfortunately, we are the intruders here," Atem said. "And I don't doubt that he has many tricks in mind to stop us from completing our mission and getting away safely."

"Why did that crumb want to start a revolution anyway?" Tristan frowned.

"To be honest, I don't know," Atem sighed heavily. "But I'm having a hard time believing that the story he told us now is true. How could he be my priest Seto's brother? Seto never mentioned him at all, not even in the afterlife!"

"I think you need to find a way to have another talk with that guy," Tristan said. "If Khu is going to cause us trouble, we need to know more about him!"

"I agree," Atem said. "When we get home, I will try to contact Shadi. He may be able to get in touch with Seto."

"Lots of luck with that," Tristan said in frustration. "Shadi only shows up when he feels like it."

"Well, maybe he will feel like it," Solomon said. "Especially if he knows we saw Khu."

"I wonder how he ended up in the Shadow Realm," Atem remarked. "He must have grown to adulthood outside of this place. Time stands still in here."

"And hey, where the heck have Kaiba and Téa and Marik got to?!" Joey suddenly realized.

"Oh no!" Yugi gasped. "We were all so involved with Khu that we didn't stop to remember that they ran off ahead looking for Mokuba!"

Atem's eyes narrowed. "I wonder if that was what Khu wanted."

"What?!" Joey stared at him. "Why would he want to keep us from Mokuba?!"

"Why did he want to pretend to be my friend for two years before trying to steal from me?" Yami Bakura spoke up, his voice dark and filled with pain. "He likes using people for his own sadistic desires."

Bakura laid a hand on his shoulder. "Doesn't he have any heart at all?" he sadly wondered.

"Perhaps that depends on why he wanted to start a revolution," Yami Bakura grunted. "He never told me either, except that he didn't like the current government in Egypt."

"Well." Atem looked ahead. "We'll have to deal with him later. Who knows how far away Kaiba, Téa, and Marik are by now. We have to catch up with them!"

"Right!" some of the others echoed.

"Wait up, you three! We're coming to get you!" Joey called as he ran ahead.

"Hey! Don't you go getting lost too!" Tristan yelled, giving chase.

The rest quickly followed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Yami Bakura held a hand to his head as they ran through the Shadow Realm, now seeking more of their group who had vanished as well as Mokuba. And while he had always been able to withstand the dangers of this realm well, now he could feel the darkness hungering for him. Seeing Khu had unlocked a painful chapter in his life that he had thought he had kept hidden away. And that in turn was releasing other painful memories and feelings from throughout the ages.

Almost without even realizing it, he slowed, stumbled, and fell forward to one knee, now clutching at his heart.

"Yami?!" Bakura stopped running too. "Oh Yami, what is it?! What's wrong?!"

Yami Bakura slowly shook his head. "I . . . caused so many innocent people to be hurt in ancient Egypt, when I released Zorc," he rasped. "They didn't deserve death any more than my village did, but releasing Zorc led to their demise."

The darkness swirled around him, playing at his knees and chest.

Bakura stared at it in alarm. "No, Yami!" he insisted. "Zorc hurt all of those people, not you. And Zorc hurt you first of all. He hurt you when you first put on the Millennium Ring, and he never stopped hurting you from that point on. You were already so poisoned by Zorc by the time you released him." He blinked back tears. "You never would have released him if you'd been yourself. You admitted you didn't want to destroy the world. All you wanted was justice!"

The rise and fall of weary shoulders. "Justice," he scoffed. "It would have been justice for me to have been consumed by the shadows after Zorc's destruction. Why wasn't I?"

Bakura gently took the larger hands between his. "Because God didn't think it was justice," he said softly. "He wanted you to live, to repent and grow and have the life you were always meant to have. He wanted you to be a protector, not a destroyer. Now you are."

"God," Yami Bakura snorted. From his tone, he clearly thought it was sacrilegious and ridiculous for Bakura to think such a thing.

"Yes, God!" Bakura insisted. He stood, still holding the man's hands. "Stand up, Yami. Stand up and defy the darkness. Don't give in to it! Show it that you're better than it!"

Stunned, Yami Bakura allowed himself to be drawn to his feet. He stood, staring down at his descendant in confusion and disbelief. "Bakura . . . you've become such a strong person," he said.

"And you helped me with that," Bakura said softly, with a shaky smile. "Oh Yami. . . ." He hugged his friend close. "I don't know what you did in the past, but you saved me when I sank into despair in this realm. Now it's my turn to save you."

"You have already saved me countless times," Yami Bakura pointed out.

"Then this is another," Bakura smiled.

". . . Yes," Yami Bakura finally conceded.

The darkness receded, fading back into the eerie borders of the pathway.

Yami Bakura relaxed. But he quickly tensed again when he saw that they had fallen behind. "We have to catch up," he exclaimed.

"We will," Bakura assured him. "We know the path they were taking, so we'll just keep walking along that until we find them."

Yami Bakura wasn't sure it would be that easy, but he didn't protest.

xxxx

Gansley was growing more and more irritated with Lector. The Southerner kept insisting he hadn't been talking with anyone, but Gansley was positive he had. In aggravation he led the rest of the Big Five away to have a conversation of their own.

"Something isn't right," he proclaimed.

"You mean you feel that he isn't being entirely truthful with us?" Johnson intoned.

"Why would he lie?" Crump shrugged.

"Why indeed," Gansley frowned. "That's what I want to find out."

"It's probably nothing," Crump said. "This place just gets to you after a while."

"I say Gansley is right," Nesbitt spoke up. "Lector is hiding something. Maybe none of the rest of you have noticed how distant he's been growing, but I have. A place like this should make people stick together for companionship and safety, but more and more, the longer we're here, the more he drifts off into his own world. What if he finds a way to escape and keeps it all to himself?"

"He wouldn't do that," Crump objected.

"Hmm," Gansley frowned. "It was 'every man for himself' when we decided to take matters into our own hands in Noa's virtual world. Lector was part of that. If he has found a way back to the real world now, he might think the rest of us will hold him back and it's time for him to move out on his own."

"So what do you propose we do?" Johnson asked.

"Just keep watching him," Gansley said. "If possible, don't let him know you're watching him. Eventually he will reveal whatever he has been keeping secret."

"Oh, I can help you with that right now."

All of them jumped a mile as the cruel Egyptian stepped out of the shadows and sneered at them.

"What . . . ?! Who are you?!" Gansley demanded.

"My name is Khu," was the reply, as he slung the spear over one shoulder.

"You don't look like you're from this time period at all," Crump remarked. "How do you even know English?!"

"So many people pass through here," Khu replied. "I've made good use of the time by learning their languages. I also know Spanish, French, and Italian."

Gansley quirked an eyebrow. "I see. Impressive. But nevermind that! What do you know about our associate?"

"I know that he's hiding a child," Khu said.

Everyone gawked at him.

"What?" Gansley finally exclaimed.

"A young boy, my descendant," Khu elaborated. "Mokuba Kaiba."

More staring.

"You're an ancestor of the Kaiba brothers?!" Nesbitt burst out.

"Why would you want to betray one of them to us?" Johnson asked.

"Why would Lector be protecting one of them from us?!" Crump frowned.

"You'll have to ask him that," Khu said smoothly. "As for why I want to betray my family line, let's just say I'm hoping it might lead to a way out of here for me. I've been in here far too long and my business in the real world was hardly finished."

Gansley started to smirk. "I think we might be able to work out an arrangement. But first, we should confront Lector."

The others echoed their agreement.

Standing in the shadows and observing, Yami Marik threw back his head and laughed. "This was a twist I hadn't planned on," he snickered, "but it's perfectly alright with me! Yes, let the chaos and mayhem commence!"

xxxx

Lector just stood and stared off into the distance after the rest of the Big Five left. Mokuba was still behind the rock, unless he had chosen to get up and slip away, but Lector didn't try to check and find out. Instead he just glowered at the shadows.

Why had he done what he had? It certainly hadn't been beneficial to him in the least. If his associates found out his lies, it would be extremely unpleasant for him. He wasn't in the habit of going against their wishes or lying to them. This was only the second time he had done it. And both times had been because of Mokuba. . . .

"So, what's going on?"

He looked up with a jerk as Mokuba came out from behind the rock. "They're gone now," he said, even though it was quite unnecessary.

"I know," Mokuba frowned. "I mean, what happens now?"

Lector heaved a sigh. "I don't know. Isn't there any chance your brother knows what's happened to you?"

"Well . . ." Mokuba hesitated. "Considering who brought me here, I guess it's possible that he'd go brag about it to Seto. But Seto wouldn't be able to get here all by himself!" he rushed on. "I bet if he's here, the whole gang's here!" He folded his arms. "So you wouldn't have much luck trying to get at him, especially in a place like this."

"No, I suppose not," Lector grunted.

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're not even interested in trying?"

"Right now, I don't know what I want," Lector bitterly retorted. "Except I don't want the others to find out about you. The sooner you get out of here, the better."

"It's funny you don't want to use me against Seto," Mokuba frowned.

Lector wouldn't meet his gaze. "It was Gansley who tried to kill you in the first virtual world," he said. "And I wasn't involved with Nesbitt's attempts to hurt you after that."

"Well, it's not like you tried to stop it, either," Mokuba snorted. "You could have had the Water Dragon Head put out the fire after Nesbitt torched the warehouse."

"Not without revealing it to the other four," Lector said.

"Yeah. So it's always all about you," Mokuba said. "You don't care about anyone else, and you probably never did!"

Lector didn't offer an answer.

"So, it's true!"

They both jumped a mile. The other members of the Big Five were back, and they had brought a strange Egyptian with them. The latter smirked, pleased to have made such a fruitful discovery so soon.

Mokuba backed up. "What's true?!"

"That Lector lied to us and mentioned nothing about your being here, little Mokuba," Gansley said. "Now, Lector, would you care to tell us why?"

Lector took a step back. "Not particularly."

Nesbitt glowered at him. "You know, I've been wondering how Mokuba and those others escaped the warehouse. There weren't supposed to be any openings. We made sure that none of the windows or doors would work! Yet somehow they found one that did. How?"

Lector fumbled for an answer. "That . . . that man with the Ring did it!" he stammered.

"His magic Ring couldn't have overpowered our technology," Nesbitt insisted. "It simply found an already existing way out!" He stepped forward, glowering at Lector. "You set it up so that window would shatter, didn't you? You wanted to leave them a way out!"

Mokuba's mouth dropped open. He hadn't considered such a possibility at all. "Lector?!" He whipped around, staring at his former guardian.

Cornered, Lector finally gave in. "Alright. Yes, yes, I did!" he snapped. "No one consulted me about doing that to Mokuba. I wasn't in favor of it!"

"I do remember you weren't in favor of the boy Ryou Bakura being harmed," Gansley said, narrowing his eyes. "You tried to convince us it would be bad for us because his protector would come after us for revenge."

"Which was exactly what happened," Johnson pointed out, looking slightly shaken from his past experience with an outraged Yami Bakura.

"But maybe you just didn't want him killed," Gansley continued. He studied Lector very carefully. "Maybe you didn't like our plan to permanently get rid of all the thorns in our sides. Despite all your other sins, perhaps that was one line you wouldn't cross. Maybe Seto Kaiba was the only one you wanted to see dead."

"I just didn't see any value in doing that to Ryou Bakura!" Lector shot back. "And I didn't want it done to Mokuba! He's just a child. He did nothing to us! Seto Kaiba used him just like he used us!"

"An interesting argument. Only isn't it hypocritical?" Johnson mused, pushing up his glasses. "After all, many of Seto Kaiba's friends did nothing to us either, but you showed no objection in targeting them in Noa's world."

"I mostly focused on targeting Mr. Kaiba," Lector said. "When that failed, you're right, I snapped. But frankly, I'm sick of trying all these different plans for revenge that backfire on us!"

"And that's why you didn't try using Mokuba to ensure your chances of getting out?" Gansley asked. "If Seto Kaiba comes looking for him, surely you realize you could tag along for the ride and escape."

Mokuba's insides twisted. What if that was why Lector had kept his arrival secret? What if he had wanted to betray the other members of the Big Five and quietly slip out by possessing Mokuba? He shuddered. That was too horrible to think about, and yet, it seemed like a logical possibility.

"I realize," Lector admitted. Mokuba stared at him as he continued, "But I wasn't planning on doing it."

"So you just intended on letting him get away, without any attempt to get out too?" Gansley retorted. "Or maybe you thought you could possess Seto Kaiba once he found his way here!"

Mokuba leaped back. "No!" He backed into the Egyptian, who brought a strong arm around him and held him fast. Unlike the others, he was mortal.

"Maybe I would have done that," Lector admitted. "Although that wasn't why I helped Mokuba. . . . Hey, what are you doing?!" He turned to stare at the Egyptian. "And who are you anyway?!"

"My name is Khu, and I'm just ensuring Mokuba doesn't get away," said Khu. "Seto Kaiba is definitely here, and he's brought quite a concession with him, including some old acquaintances of mine. Eventually they'll find their way to Mokuba, and I intend on being there when they do."

"So do we!" Gansley declared. "But why didn't you tell us at first that Seto Kaiba is here?!"

"I wanted to wait for this moment," Khu said.

Mokuba was still struggling against him. "You'll never get away with this, you big creeps!" he screamed. "Seto and Marik and all the rest won't let you!"

Khu just laughed. "We'll see about that."

Lector glared at him. "Wait, what are you going to do with him?!"

"Just keep him as bait," Khu said. "When everyone shows up, we'll have the perfect chance to get out of here. The five of you can possess some of the group and I can just go through the portal when it opens."

"That works for me," Crump shrugged.

"But are we going to let Lector come with us at all?" Johnson wondered. "It doesn't seem that we can really trust him anymore."

"If we had a way to imprison people, we could lock him away until Mr. Kaiba and the rest show up," Nesbitt said.

"Oh, I can take care of that." Khu snapped his fingers and dark tendrils began to surround Lector, who stared at them in horror.

"What is this?!"

"Your chance to fight off the darkness," Gansley said, quickly warming to the situation. "I doubt you'll succeed, and maybe by the time our chance for escape has come, you'll be seeing things our way again. If not, well, I'm afraid we'll have to leave you behind."

"No! . . ." Lector stared at him. "You can't leave me here like this!"

Mokuba was staring too. "Lector . . ." He hadn't thought he would see the Big Five turning against one of their own. And he still wasn't sure how to feel about Lector. He had never once dreamed that the mysterious exit in the warehouse had been crafted by Lector, although he had certainly wondered why one window had shattered when none of the others would.

"We don't really want to leave you here, Lector," Crump spoke up now, "but if you're not with us all the way, you're against us enough that we can't trust you. We'll check on you and see if you've changed your mind any before we leave, of course. If there's any of you left!"

Mokuba kept staring at Lector as he was dragged away by Khu. No matter what he thought of the man, the panic-stricken look in Lector's eyes was chilling. Then the darkness swirled around him more strongly and Mokuba could see nothing more.

"You've been with him all this time and you really don't care what happens to him?!" he cried.

"I wouldn't say that," Crump said. "I just think that after a few minutes of this, he'll be begging to go along with us again."

Gansley nodded. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't necessarily like in order to keep people in line."

"But . . . what if it doesn't work?" Mokuba said helplessly. "What if he gets swallowed up by the darkness?"

The Big Four looked at each other.

"I really don't think that'll happen," Crump insisted. "We've been here a long time and we've warded it off."

"Yes, but we weren't deliberately plopped in the middle of it, as Lector just was," Johnson said. "That might feed the darkness all the more."

"I think you can be sure of that," Khu said.

Mokuba looked back to where Lector was. Now, despite the clouds of darkness covering him, his screaming was obvious. Mokuba was chilled. "This isn't right," he whispered. "It's not right. . . ."

"But there's nothing you can do about it, is there, Mokuba?" Khu whispered back. "You can't stop it."

Mokuba fought against him again, this time viciously kicking him in the shin. "Oh yeah?!"

Khu yelled in surprise and pain, his grip loosening just enough that Mokuba was able to worm out of it and run back over to Lector.

"What is that brat doing?!" Gansley snarled.

"I'd say he's trying to disrupt our plans," Johnson said. "Don't worry; it won't work."

"Lector!" Mokuba called. "Can you hear me?!"

The screaming stopped, but there was no reply.

"Lector?!" Mokuba demanded.

". . . Y-Yes, I can hear you," Lector stammered.

"Okay. You have to fight against the darkness, Lector!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Think good thoughts. There have to be some good memories you can call on!"

"There aren't," Lector shot back.

"Not even of your family? Your childhood?" Mokuba desperately pleaded. "You made a whole section of the city look like New Orleans! You must have good memories of it!"

Silence. Then, "Yes."

"Then think about them!" Mokuba begged. "Think about anything! Everything! As long as it's a good memory!"

"I . . . I'm trying!" Lector rasped. "I don't think it's working. . . ."

"You have to concentrate hard!" Mokuba cried. "And don't panic! Panicking will only make it worse!"

"Maybe so, but . . ." Lector cut himself off with a scream. This one was different than before. It chilled Mokuba's blood to the core.

"Lector?! Lector!" he yelled.

This time there was no reply. The darkness slowly dispersed, revealing only an empty space. Mokuba could only stare in numb horror. "No," he whispered.

Khu grabbed him again from behind. "Isn't that too bad," he sneered. "I guess he wasn't strong enough to keep his sense of self, like I was."

Mokuba flinched. "Let me go, you big creep!" He struggled as before, but this time Khu didn't let him kick or punch. He hoisted the boy up high.

The Big Four actually looked shaken.

"He's really . . . gone?" Crump gasped.

"That's the nature of the Shadow Realm," Khu said flippantly. "Now let's go."

The Big Four exchanged worried looks. Khu had been the one who had brought this on Lector. Maybe if they weren't careful, he would turn against them when he felt it suited him. They wouldn't be able to let their guard down around him, even for a minute.

As they started off, Johnson turned back, staring at the wisps of dark mist. "Farewell, Lector," he said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Mokuba could sense that the mood among the villains had greatly changed as they walked. Khu seemed to be triumphant and gloating, while the Big Four were still badly troubled. Despite the threats and cruel laughter against the traitorous member of their alliance, none of them had apparently really thought Lector would be swallowed up by the darkness. Now that it was too late and he was gone, they were regretting what they had encouraged and what had happened.

"Is he really gone?" Crump spoke at last.

"Oh, he still exists in the darkness, of course," Khu shrugged. "But he's no longer the person you knew. I doubt he'll forgive you. Can you blame him?"

"But we didn't really mean for this to happen!" Crump protested. "We all thought he'd just get shook up a bit and then come around to our way of thinking."

"You should have known better than to play with the Shadow Realm," Khu mocked. "And aren't you angry at all about his traitorous actions against you?"

"Of course we are," Gansley retorted. "Obviously he could no longer be trusted. This is for the best, really."

Johnson looked to him with a start. "Don't you care at all?! Surely you didn't want this outcome!"

"No, but I didn't want the outcome of Lector having turned against us either," Gansley said. "We're better off without him."

"And maybe he thought he was better off without you guys," Mokuba muttered. "Only now it's too late."

"Do you really care, Mokuba?" Gansley wondered. "After all, learning about Lector's sabotage in your favor doesn't take away all the terrible things he did. And he could have done much more than he did. He had no guarantee that you would find the working window. It was a cheap attempt for him to feel a little better about himself."

Mokuba looked down. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he admitted. "And it doesn't take away what he tried to do to Seto. But he tried to help in some way, even if it was cheap. Maybe after living with hate for so long, that was the only thing he could even think to do. At least it's better than any of the rest of you creeps. He didn't deserve to be swallowed up by the darkness! Especially since he probably thought you guys were his friends and you wouldn't turn on him! Sure, he didn't tell you about me, but it's not like not knowing really hurt you. He didn't do anything to try to get rid of you, like you did to him!"

"Objection," Johnson snapped. "It was this Egyptian who trapped Lector in the darkness, not us."

"Well, you sure didn't try to help him," Mokuba spat. "You just laughed and encouraged it!"

"None of us really thought he wouldn't be able to withstand it," Johnson said.

"And now that you know what this Khu guy is capable of, what makes you think he won't try it on any of the rest of you?" Mokuba continued. "He doesn't care about any of you! All he cares about is his own goals!"

"Shut up," Khu snarled, holding Mokuba tighter.

"We're quite aware of that," Gansley said. "This partnership is an alliance of convenience. We each desire something out of it and it would be worth our while to pursue this angle. Lector never actually agreed to join forces with Khu. The rest of us did. Khu has no reason to get rid of the rest of us at this point."

"Unless maybe you decide that you've all had enough of him," Mokuba returned.

"Are you trying to give him ideas?!" Crump exclaimed.

"I think you're all crazy for teaming up with him," Mokuba said. "You don't know anything about him except that he can make the shadows even worse! You're not safe with him. And if you care about Lector at all, why do you want to work with the guy who pretty much killed him?!"

"It has nothing to do with our personal preferences," Gansley said. "This is all about business."

"Yeah, well, you should all be worrying about how safe you are with someone like this," Mokuba retorted.

"Right now, Mokuba and I are your only chances to be free of this realm," Khu said.

"Sure, I am," Mokuba retorted, "but what is it that you really offer?"

"Holding on to you," Khu sneered. "Since they're all wandering spirits, they can't do that."

"Point taken," Johnson mused.

Mokuba inwardly groaned. He didn't want to be with the Big Five or this new guy, but at least he was familiar with the Big Five . . . Four. He knew his way around them. With this Khu person, he didn't know what he was in for. He had hoped to convince the Big Four to get away from him, but that clearly was not going to happen. For now he would have to go along with their plans and hope and pray that a solution to save himself and everyone else would present itself.

Was there any way to save Lector too?

Did he want to?

Lector should have done more to help than he had. But . . . well, too little, but not too late, as Lector's actions had certainly saved not only his life, but Marik, Duke, and David as well. Mokuba owed him something for that. Not to mention Lector apparently hadn't been going to use Mokuba for ill purposes tonight. If it hadn't been for Lector trying to help him, Khu wouldn't have placed him in the darkness.

Yes, Mokuba wanted to help Lector . . . if there was any way to help him. Khu said he still existed, so . . . that had to mean there was hope, right?

xxxx

Seto was tense and angry and worried. He wasn't sure how far he had run, but there was still no sign of Mokuba. There was no answer to his frantic calls, either. No, Mokuba was nowhere to be found. In a place such as this, there was really no shortage of possible locations.

"Kaiba, this isn't working!" Marik exclaimed to his side. "We need a new plan."

"We don't have a new plan!" Seto retorted. "We formed that soul circle or whatever you want to call it and Mokuba was calling out from this direction! But he's still not here!"

". . . I think he might have been here," Téa said with a shudder. "Do you guys feel this? Something's really wrong in this spot."

Seto immediately ground to a halt. "Mokuba?!" All he could see was dark mist in every direction. All he could feel . . . was a coldness, an uneasiness the likes of which he had never known before. It was unrest, it was anger, it was pain, and it was fear. It didn't feel like Mokuba, and he couldn't really make himself believe it was, but . . . what if the darkness had swallowed him? No, he wouldn't believe that!

Marik had stopped too, his heart pounding. "Mokuba, are you here?!" His earrings jangled as he whipped around, worried for his young friend.

"This isn't Mokuba," Seto promptly decided. He frowned at Téa. "What makes you think he was here?"

"Like you said, Kaiba, you and Marik sensed that Mokuba was this way," Téa replied. "So . . . he must have been here. . . ." She bit her lip. "What could have happened?"

"It feels fresh," Marik said. "I think someone was pulled into the darkness."

"But if not Mokuba, then who?!" Seto burst out. He looked around, unsure of what to do, if anything. If it wasn't Mokuba, he couldn't stop to deal with it right now. But . . . what if it was? How could he leave until he knew for sure? . . . How would he ever know for sure?

"Kaiba?!" Atem and the rest were catching up now. "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Seto cried. His utter helplessness pierced his voice.

"It feels like the darkness took someone right here," Marik said grimly. "We don't know if it was Mokuba."

Yami Bakura went stiff. This was too much like what had almost happened to Bakura. If he hadn't been able to do what he had back then, Bakura would have become part of the darkness just as whoever this was had.

Bakura laid a hand on his shoulder. "How horrible, in any case!" he exclaimed.

Atem frowned, stepping forward with the Infinity Puzzle glowing. For a moment he stood still, mentally reaching out, trying to make contact with whoever was lost to the shadows. At last he looked up, confused and grim. "It's not Mokuba," he reported.

"Then who?!" Seto demanded. "And do they know where Mokuba is?!"

Atem concentrated for another moment. "I can't properly connect with them," he frowned. "All I can feel is a twisted mass of anger and hatred and pain."

"Tell us something we don't know," Seto said in frustration.

"Wait!" Yugi exclaimed. "Atem, can't you try to tell them to focus on the light and everything else you told the victims of Dartz's Leviathan? You said this is pretty much the same thing!"

"I can try," Atem agreed. "But they have to be willing to listen. Maybe they're not."

"It's worth a try," Yugi insisted.

Atem nodded. As everyone stood around and tensely watched, he tried again to make contact. "Focus on my voice," he said aloud. "Don't think about anything that's dragged you into the darkness. Think about whatever brought you joy and happiness. Remember the good in your life. I know it will be hard at first. The darkness has a way of crowding out all that is good. But it doesn't have to be that way! You can choose not to let it! Think about the good."

Seto stepped away. "I'm going on," he said. "You can keep trying here, but if that isn't Mokuba, I have to find him before the same thing happens to him!"

"Wait, Kaiba," Yugi pleaded. "If Atem can reach whoever it is, maybe they really do know what happened to Mokuba!"

"And maybe they don't," Seto countered. "And regardless, maybe they're too far gone. I can't wait around to find out. My brother needs me!"

Suddenly there was a surge of anger in the darkness, so strong it knocked Atem and Seto off their feet. Atem looked to Seto with a start. "Kaiba, your words made whoever this is very angry!"

"Is that supposed to bother me?" Seto retorted.

Atem got to his feet. "Maybe it should. It could be a clue as to who this is."

"One of the Big Five, perhaps?" Marik frowned.

"Then they deserve whatever happens to them," Seto growled, getting up as well.

Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes. He couldn't deny he felt the same.

Atem sighed. "Are you one of the Big Five?" he asked the darkness. "Lector?" He paused, listening, trying to feel the emotions within the swirling mists.

Bakura shuddered. "I must say, this is frightfully disturbing. Whoever that is has truly become the darkness?"

"Yes," Yami Bakura growled.

"Now that is messed-up," Tristan proclaimed.

"Do you know what happened to Mokuba?" Atem tried again. "If you do, we desperately need your help! But you won't be able to help anyone like this!"

Silence. Then a surge of regret.

"Mokuba was here," Atem mused after a moment. "He tried to help. I think this is Lector."

"Then nothing he says can be trusted," Seto retorted. "I'm going." Again he started off.

"Kaiba, don't go alone!" Téa cried, running after him.

Marik clenched his teeth. He was torn. He wanted to go with Seto, but what if Lector really did have information that could help them? Then it might be profitable to wait. On the other hand, could they possibly trust him?

"Lector, Mokuba will be hurt if we don't know where to go to find him," Atem said. "Your grudge is against Seto Kaiba. Don't drag Mokuba into it. He tried to help you! Return the favor by helping us help him!"

Another silence. Then, slowly, the mists began to swirl together again.

"Oh my," Bakura gasped. "Is it working?"

"I don't know, but I'm getting freaked out!" Joey exclaimed.

Yugi stared, his eyes wide. The darkness was beginning to take on a human shape. As everyone stood and watched in stunned amazement, the mists receded, leaving behind a man on the ground on his hands and knees.

Atem hurried forward. "Lector!"

The Big Five member looked up, breathing heavily, clearly haunted by his experience. "They let this happen to me," he gasped. "All of them. . . . They just stood by and laughed. . . ."

"Who did this to you?" Atem demanded.

"I don't know," Lector retorted. "Some strange character they'd picked up. Khu or something like that."

Yami Bakura went stiff in horror. "Khu?!"

Bakura's eyes widened. "He's working with the Big Five . . . er, Four?!"

Lector slowly got to his feet. "You know him?"

"Yes." Yami Bakura's expression darkened. "He is well-versed in the art of betrayal. Apparently he is also good at getting others to follow in his footsteps."

"They're gonna be sorry," Lector vowed.

"Wait!" Atem protested. "There has been far too much hatred and misplaced vengeance already. It was this sickness, this desire for revenge, that led to your being trapped here in the first place."

"Yeah, not to mention getting trapped all the other places you've been," Joey added.

Tristan nodded. "That's right. We want your help in getting Mokuba back, but we don't need any more crazy revenge schemes!"

Lector growled and looked away. He had to admit they had a point. Not to mention that he had been thinking about those very things himself, before Mokuba had arrived and turned everything upsidedown.

"Anyway, if you become swallowed up in thoughts of revenge, you'll only get taken by the darkness again," Marik said. "It's a miracle you pulled out of it this time. Don't tempt it."

Lector sighed. "Alright. What do you want from me?"

"Just to know where Mokuba is and what they're planning to do with him," Marik said.

"I don't know where he is," Lector said. "Probably not far. They were planning to use him as bait to get all of you to come to them. Then they're planning to possess some of you and escape to the real world. Khu wants out too, but he can't possess anybody. He's mortal."

"So we noticed," Marik frowned. "Alright. Let's move ahead and keep looking! I'm sure they're close by."

"And Kaiba and Téa might get overpowered unawares!" Yugi said in alarm. "We have to find them before they get possessed!" He ran out ahead before he could be stopped.

"Yugi, wait!" Atem cried.

Marik took off running too. "There's no time to lose!"

Bakura looked worriedly to Yami Bakura as they joined the mad dash. "Yami . . . everything's been so hectic in here that I didn't stop to think about it, but . . . what if we run into The White Death in here?" he said in fear.

Yami Bakura growled. "If we do, he will also be a spirit."

"I know," Bakura said. "Do you think he might try to possess one of us?"

"Having white hair would probably be a dream come true for him," Yami Bakura grunted. "Not to mention then being in close proximity to someone else with white hair. Yes, he might very well try to possess one of us."

Bakura stared at him in horror. "No! We can't let that happen! We can't!"

"We won't," Yami Bakura snarled. He glanced to Lector. "And we should also stay on our guard with that man around. He's one of the Big Five. I don't trust him."

"I don't know what to think," Bakura admitted. "Maybe he's different from the others. I mean, he seems to care about Mokuba. Thinking about Mokuba brought him back to himself. That has to mean something."

"Perhaps," Yami Bakura said. "But it doesn't mean he wouldn't be willing to possess someone other than Mokuba. I'm going to stay cautious."

"Oh dear." Bakura shuddered. But he couldn't deny Yami Bakura had a point.

xxxx

Téa looked worriedly at Seto as they continued to run in desperate search of Mokuba. "He's just not around, Kaiba," she said. "I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe we should have stayed behind with the others."

"And listened to the Pharaoh trying to talk to the darkness?" Seto retorted. "If that was Lector, there's nothing he could say that I would believe. Maybe he'd just lie in the hopes that the Pharaoh would find a way to restore him."

"I don't think it works that way," Téa said. "Atem said that only the victims can bring themselves back."

"Then they've got a long wait. Lector will never overcome his inner darkness any more than any of the rest of the Big Five will," Seto said.

Téa couldn't deny that seemed likely. "But we're sure not having any luck," she moaned. "Maybe we should at least stop and try reaching out to Mokuba again. We might not even be going in the right direction now!"

Seto was willing to concede to that logic. He stopped and turned to face Téa. "Alright. We'll try it."

Téa stared as Seto took her hands to form the soul circle. Of all the things she had never thought she would do in life, holding hands with Seto Kaiba was certainly at the top of that list. And unlike what she had thought, she couldn't even say it was an unpleasant experience. In spite of herself, she went red.

If Seto noticed, he didn't comment and couldn't care less. His only thoughts were for Mokuba. As he closed his eyes and concentrated, so did Téa.

" _Seto! Don't come, Seto. It's a trap! Lector tried to help me and they killed him. You're next!"_

Seto jerked, his eyes opening like a shot.

Téa gasped. "This time I heard him too! Do you think what he said was a trick?!"

"I don't know." Seto frowned. "I can believe the part about it being a trap. But Lector trying to help Mokuba?"

"Well . . . maybe they tricked him into thinking Lector tried to help him?" Téa suggested.

"Maybe." Seto looked to the left. "I'm still sensing Mokuba is that way. And trap or no trap, I have to go in after him."

"And I'm going with you," Téa vowed. "But maybe we should wait for the others to catch up. . . ."

"I'm not waiting." Seto took off running again before Téa could protest.

Swallowing her misgivings, the girl quickly followed him.

They hadn't gone far when Seto stumbled, falling forward and then back as though stricken. He gasped, bringing a hand to his head.

Téa stopped running. "Kaiba?! Kaiba, what is it?! What's wrong?!"

Seto hissed, clenching his teeth. "I . . . I don't know," he rasped. "Something . . . I felt something rush into me!" Suddenly he straightened, turning to leer at Téa with an expression she had never thought she would see from him. "Well, well, so we meet again, Téa," he laughed, but not in his voice.

"Crump!" Téa shrieked. "What are you doing?!"

"Why, just taking possession of my way out of here," Crump grinned. "But I don't think I'll let any of the others possess you. I'd rather have you as yourself." He stepped forward, grabbing for her wrist.

"No way!" Téa backed up. She didn't want to hurt Seto's body, but she would if she had to. "Kaiba, fight it! I know you wouldn't let anyone take over your body without a fight!"

Seto's eyes flickered. "Run, Téa," he choked out. "Go find Mokuba. Get away from me. I . . . I can fight him off better if you're not around."

Téa was torn. "You've never been possessed before!" she retorted. "How do you know what you can do better?!"

"Don't argue with me," Seto said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then you won't," Téa insisted. "You're a lot of things, Seto Kaiba, but weak isn't one of them. You're stubborn and you want your own way. And most of all, you want to save Mokuba! So you won't let this creep have your body. You'll fight him off with all of your heart and soul!"

"Maybe he will," Crump said as he took control again, "but you've both walked right into our trap." He seized Téa's wrist, much to her horror and disgust. "Now we'll still have the last laugh."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Seto was furious. It was horrible enough to have to come to believe that something such as possession was real, but to come to believe it because it was happening to him was one of the worst possible indignities and violations. He hadn't even seen Crump; the man had just suddenly leaped out of the shadows and into Seto's body before he had been able to do a thing about it. Now Crump was dragging Téa along with him, cackling about how the rest of his associates would have to focus on possessing some of the others instead; he wasn't going to let any of them leap into Téa's body. He wanted Téa all for himself, as herself.

"After all," he sneered, "it'd be a little hard to be attracted to you knowing it was really Johnson or Gansley in there!"

Téa was still straining against him. "You're sick, Crump! I'm not going to go anywhere with you!"

"Oh? Not even if it meant Mokuba's safety?"

She stiffened. "Why would it mean that?!"

Crump just leered at her. "Because I said so!"

Seto strained for control, outraged at this display. "What you say . . . doesn't go, Crump," he snarled. "This is my body. Get out!"

Crump just laughed. "Make me."

In Seto's mind, he was confronting Crump at the doorway to his soul room. He glowered at the bigger man, outraged. "I will." He lunged.

The mental struggle between the two souls caused Seto's body's grip on Téa's wrist to loosen. She pulled free, relieved that she wouldn't have to resort to kicking Seto away from her with a vicious dance move.

Seto looked up, holding a hand to his face. "Get out of here, Téa!" he rasped. "Go find Mokuba! I'll come . . . as soon as I get rid of this snake."

Téa swallowed hard. She didn't want to leave him here. But finding Mokuba was certainly vital. Finally, even though she was reluctant, she nodded and turned to run. "Be careful, Kaiba," she begged.

Seto didn't reply.

xxxx

Mokuba was growing angrier by the moment. "You creeps!" he screamed as he struggled against Khu again. "Where did Crump go?!"

"Most likely, off to possess whoever has arrived first to save you," Gansley replied. "Maybe your brother."

Mokuba went stiff. "No!"

"Oh, he would certainly do it," Johnson smirked.

"I know he would," Mokuba said in disgust. "But Seto wouldn't let it happen! He'd fight Crump all the way and kick him out!"

"We'll see," Gansley sneered.

"Someone's coming now," Nesbitt announced.

Téa ran into view, her eyes filled with worry. "Mokuba!" she exclaimed when she caught sight of him in Khu's grasp.

"Téa!" Mokuba struggled in vain to get free. "Where's Seto?!"

"He's . . ." Téa swallowed hard. "He's coming. . . ."

"Crump got to him, didn't he?" Johnson sneered.

Téa glowered. "He's going to be fine."

"Of course he is!" Mokuba cried. "You can't keep my brother down!"

"Maybe not, but we can certainly try," Johnson retorted.

"And as for you, young lady . . ." Gansley took a step towards Téa. "You will make a perfect way for one of us to enter the real world."

"As if!" Téa shot back. "You won't take me without a fight. And even if you get me, it won't be a good disguise. Your voice will come through whoever you possess." She smirked. "I'd be spotted immediately."

Gansley's face contorted in disgust, but he wasn't deterred. "We'll worry about that later."

"No," came another voice. "We'll worry about it now."

Everyone looked up.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed in relief and joy.

"Kaiba!" Téa looked to him with a start. "Are you . . . well, you know, yourself?"

"Yeah." Seto glared at his enemies. "I kicked Crump out. And now I'm ordering you to let Mokuba go if you don't want to find out what I can do to you." He looked to Khu, who barely batted an eye.

"You can't really do anything to me as long as I'm holding onto Mokuba," Khu pointed out.

Mokuba tried to kick him, but this time Khu didn't react.

"Look, I don't know who you are or why you're so interested in my little brother," Seto snarled, "but you're going to regret not letting him go when you had the chance."

"Please. I've had three millennia to hone my powers in this realm," Khu said.

"Then why do you want to leave?" Mokuba spat. "Your powers won't work in the real world!"

"I have unfinished business there," Khu replied. "And one way or another, I'm going to see that it's finished."

"Not with my brother, you're not," Seto snarled.

"Kaiba! Téa!"

Again everyone looked up. Marik was running toward them now, followed by the rest of the group.

Gansley stiffened and went pale. "Lector!" he gasped.

"That's right." Lector stopped running and glowered at him. "My old friends. I've come back. I don't want Mokuba being used as part of this scheme."

"That isn't your choice to make," Johnson said. "But how are you alright?!"

"You can thank the Pharaoh for that," Lector replied, gesturing behind himself at Atem. "But I'm tired of all our schemes backfiring on us. I never wanted Mokuba to be used as a pawn in our revenge against Seto Kaiba. I'll fight you if you keep on with this."

"And so will we," Atem declared. "Two of us have Infinity Items. We will fight you off at every turn."

Johnson looked worried. "We didn't have time to plan this out well. What do we do?"

"I can trap everyone in their own personal Hells, just as I did to Lector," Khu said. "And I can assure you, not all of them would get out. I don't know how Lector did." He sneered. "But it's very difficult to keep hold of one's sense of self while all the memories you regret from throughout your life are ripping through your heart and soul. Most people have many of those, both things they caused and things they're the victims of. I'm sure my old friend Bakura, for one, would have a terrible time drowning in the darkness."

Yami Bakura glowered. "I lived with the darkness for three thousand years and I have regained my sense of self. I didn't know I'd lost it until we separated and I realized I had become so poisoned I thought I was Zorc."

"Isn't that touching, that your identity crisis is over," Khu mocked.

"Khu!" Atem stepped forward. "Release Mokuba. I don't know what it was you wanted back in ancient Egypt, but Mokuba certainly had nothing to do with it then _or_ now. He doesn't deserve to be used by you as a way for you to supposedly get what you want."

"Maybe not, but I intend to anyway," Khu sneered.

Atem glared. "Did you mean what you said earlier, that my priest Seto is your brother?"

"Oh yes." Khu's eyes darkened. "Ahknadin secretly married my mother long before he married Seto's. But she was a commoner and Ahknadin was weak-minded. He divorced her because he just didn't think he could keep it secret forever and he felt it just wasn't proper for one in a high position to have married an average villager. Later, when he abandoned his second wife and Seto, he sent them to the same village. Seto and I discovered we were half-brothers and grew up together."

"Honestly, I don't care," Seto snapped. "That wasn't me. All I care about is taking Mokuba and going home!"

"Which you won't be doing without us," Gansley insisted.

"Hey, none of us are going home with unwanted passengers," Tristan snapped.

"You got that right!" Joey cried.

"Khu, why did you want to start a revolution?" Atem persisted. "Were you trying to get back at Ahknadin?"

Khu gave him a cold look. "In part, perhaps. But that's information you don't need to know right now."

"We're wasting time," Gansley agreed. "Let's get out of here!"

"We're not taking you creeps with us!" Joey snapped. "What part of that don't you understand?!"

Atem nodded. "I won't be opening the portal connecting the realms until I can be sure none of you will be able to come with us."

"Or until someone forces your hand?" Khu abruptly brought his arm around Mokuba's throat and began to squeeze unbearably. "Open the portal now, or he dies!"

Mokuba gasped, his hands trembling as he reached up to try to force the arm away. "No. . . . Don't do what he wants. . . ."

Seto clenched his fists, his hands shaking. "You slime!" He looked to Atem. "Pharaoh, there's no choice. Open the portal now!"

Lector stepped forward before Atem could respond. "I didn't want Mokuba hurt!" he snapped. "Let him go!"

"This is the best way to have revenge on Seto Kaiba," Gansley pointed out. "He loves that boy more than anything else, including KaibaCorp."

"You'll have to choose, Lector," Johnson said. "Either you support our current plan or you align with our enemies. There is no middle ground here."

"Lector . . ." Mokuba gasped. "Give up your hatred for Seto. If you . . . really care about me . . . you won't keep trying to hurt him. . . ."

Lector clenched his fists. "I can't turn off my feelings just like that. But I don't like this plan. If you won't let the boy go . . ." Suddenly he ran at Khu and vanished. Khu gasped and stiffened, his eyes going blank. When he spoke again, it was in Lector's voice. "Then I'll make you."

The arm around Mokuba's throat loosened. He gasped and stumbled forward, rubbing at his neck. "Lector . . ."

Seto ran to Mokuba and pulled him into an embrace, which Mokuba tightly returned. Then Seto looked up and stared. "Lector, you possessed Khu?!"

"To save Mokuba," Lector said. "Now, all of you, get out of here with him now!"

"Lector!" Gansley boomed. "You are not going to cheat us out of this method of escape!"

"There's nothing I can do to stop you from trying," Lector retorted. "But I don't want this man to get loose back in the real world. I'll hold him off."

Khu's eyes flickered. "No . . . you won't," he spat.

Crump arrived on the scene just in time to see all of this madness. "What the heck's going on here?!" he boomed.

"Crump, grab a body!" Gansley yelled. "We're getting out of here!"

"Not if I can help it!" Atem cried. The Infinity Puzzle glowed. "Bakura, can you create a barrier around us?"

Yami Bakura growled. "I don't know. Ring, will you cooperate and do that?"

For once the Infinity Ring didn't put up a fight. It glowed, surrounding the group in a protective beam. As Atem shifted them all back to the real world, the Big Four slammed helplessly into the barrier and could not penetrate.

Mokuba looked back to Lector as the realm began to fade. "Lector, you still have good in you!" he pleaded. "You should come back with us and try to start your life over! Maybe you'd be able to get back in your body. . . ."

"I still hate your brother too much, Mokuba," Lector replied.

"You conquered the darkness in your heart enough to reform out of the darkness of the Shadow Realm," Atem said. "You may not still hate Kaiba as much as you think you do."

"Well . . ." Lector hesitated. "Maybe we'll see."

The Shadow Realm faded, depositing everyone back in the Kaibas' living room.

"Oh wow." Joey rubbed his head. "That was a trip."

Téa looked around. "Are we all here?"

Marik hurried over to help Mokuba up. He hugged his friend close. "I think so. . . ."

Mokuba hugged Marik in turn. "Except Lector. . . . He didn't come with us after all. . . ."

Seto grunted. "I doubt he could adjust back to the real world. He'd probably only try to come up with another scheme to overthrow me and take over KaibaCorp if he got back."

"That's what I thought too," Mokuba said. "But now I just don't know."

"We'll probably never know," Marik said.

"I wonder if the rest of the Big Five are going to be really mad at him," Mokuba remarked.

"Or perhaps he'll be angry with them," Bakura said.

"It's hard to imagine the Big Five splitting up," Téa said. "But this might do it."

Yami Bakura was silent as he walked away from the group. Bakura hurried after him. "Yami? Are you alright?" He touched the man's arm.

Yami Bakura paused. "At least we didn't run into The White Death," was all he could say.

"But you ran into the man who hurt you so deeply in your youth," Bakura said softly. "That would weigh on anyone's soul, especially when he isn't repentant at all."

Yami Bakura reached and patted Bakura's hand. Now that the crisis was over, he allowed the weariness in his heart to show in his eyes. He didn't know what to say to Bakura's comment. But from the look in his eyes, he didn't need to say anything.

"I wonder if we've seen the last of that creepy Khu guy," Téa said with a shudder.

"I'm afraid not," Atem sighed. "He was determined to get back here somehow. I'm sure that he will find a way to do it."

"It must have been hard for you to see him, Atem," Yugi said quietly. "Since he pulled the same fake friend thing on you that he did on Yami Bakura."

Atem nodded. "It wasn't pleasant. And I'll still have to contact Shadi. I want to know what my priest Seto will have to say about Khu."

"I really don't care." Seto looked down at Mokuba. "As long as he stays far away from here."

"But we should be prepared in case he finds a way through," Atem said.

Yami Bakura clenched a fist. He didn't want to see Khu again, although he had vowed to settle the score with him. He was sure that Atem was right and Khu would insist on appearing at some point.

"At least we can be grateful that we're all safe now," Atem said. "I know that what happened was hard on all of us. Hopefully we can each talk about our feelings with at least one person, instead of bottling up the pain."

Mokuba looked down. "Maybe if I'd really talked about things more, Yami Marik wouldn't have decided to cart me off to the Shadow Realm."

"He still would have, I'm sure," Marik said. "But it would be good if you talked about things that are bothering you, Mokuba. I was very worried about you, and I know your brother was as well."

Seto nodded. "I still don't like revisiting the past, but if you need to sometimes, Mokuba, I should never make you feel like you can't."

Mokuba managed a smile. "Thanks, big brother. Marik." He paused, remembering something. "Seto, were you really possessed?!" He gave his brother a worried look.

Seto grimaced at the memory. "As much as I'd like to say it was a trick, I know it wasn't. Yes, Mokuba, I was really possessed. I had to fight off Crump. But he made a big mistake thinking he could control me."

"I'm sure he did," Mokuba smiled, though the worry over Seto having had to go through something like that was clearly in his eyes.

"Wait, what?!" Joey exclaimed. "Kaiba was possessed?!"

"And he admits it?!" Tristan added in disbelief.

Seto grunted. "It would be pointless to deny it."

"And it wasn't pointless denying any of the other stuff that happened?!" Joey retorted.

Seto just gave him an irritated look.

"Oh well," Yugi smiled. "Anyone can change."

"Yeah," Téa said, sounding far away.

"Well," Joey exclaimed, not seeming to notice Téa's distracted behavior, "I'm up for pizza! Who's with me?!"

Almost everyone chorused in the affirmative.

"Yeah!" Joey pumped the air with a fist. "Pizza party at Kaiba's! How about that!"

"I never agreed you could have it here," Seto exclaimed.

"Aww, come on, big brother?" Mokuba looked up at him with bright, pleading eyes.

Seto sighed. "Alright. But they'd better clean up after themselves."

"We will!" Joey made a beeline for the phone. "Thanks, Rich Boy!"

Seto just stood and watched him, his expression clearly showing that he wondered how this had just happened . . . and if he would regret it.

"So, a lot of crazy stuff went down tonight," Tristan said. "And I have to say, I'm really wondering how Bakura was saved from Lector's fate, especially since Yami Bakura sure didn't believe in friendship at that point."

Bakura shook his head. "I don't need to know. Not if Yami doesn't want to talk about it."

Yami Bakura gave a heavy sigh of resignation, his shoulders rising and falling. "I suppose you really have a right to know. Perhaps it's information that will be important sometime. The only way I could help you was by catching a Shadow Leech and manipulating it to drain only your memories of our experience there."

Tristan gaped at him. "No way! You deliberately gave Bakura partial amnesia?!"

"I had to!" Yami Bakura spat. "I didn't know how to stop the darkness from encroaching on him! Once he didn't remember, he was at peace and the darkness had no claim upon him!"

"Yeah, but still . . ." Tristan shuddered. "That is messed-up."

Bakura was standing and staring at Yami Bakura, stunned beyond belief. Finally he smiled, slowly and sadly. "Perhaps once I would have agreed with you, Tristan. But I don't now that I understand Yami. I couldn't. Yami did the only thing he knew to save me. He didn't understand that the light of friendship and love would have had the same calming effect. But things are different now."

Yami Bakura was equally stunned. "Bakura. . . . You're not angry with me?"

"No." Bakura shook his head.

Tristan still looked disturbed. "Well, I just hope you won't try that on me someday."

"Not unless the situation is critical and absolutely nothing else works," Yami Bakura grunted.

Seto sighed, deciding he really didn't want to be part of that conversation. Instead he said, "Yugi . . . everyone . . . I do owe all of you my thanks for helping me save Mokuba."

Joey, who had just found the telephone number he wanted, gaped at Seto. "You're thanking all of us?!" he gasped. "That's awesome, but you don't have to thank your friends for pitching in and helping out with rescuing another friend. Mokuba's our bud. Of course we'd help him!"

"That's right," Yugi smiled. "But Kaiba, you're also our friend. We came for both of you."

"I know," Seto said. "And I'm grateful."

Joey blinked, rapidly. "Okay, who are you and what did you do with Kaiba?! . . . And are we sure we want him to come back?"

Seto rolled his eyes. But as Joey reached the person at the pizza parlor and everyone started calling out what they wanted on their pizzas, he stepped back, thoughtful.

Honestly, he wasn't sure he would ever get used to antics like this. Nor was he sure he wanted to. But on the other hand . . . this feeling of belonging, this camaraderie. . . . This was what it felt like to have friends.

It actually didn't feel bad at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: Thanks to everyone who has been interested in this piece! I decided to tack on this short bit, as I felt the brothers needed time to talk and there just didn't seem to be a good moment in the climatic chapter.**

 **Epilogue**

Mokuba sat in the windowseat of his room that night, staring out at the starry sky. That was how Seto found him when he came to the doorway and looked in. "Mokuba?"

Mokuba started and turned. "Oh! Hey, Seto." He smiled. "That was some party, huh?"

"You could say that. You could also say that Joey Wheeler knows how to make a first-class mess with pizza crumbs. Not that I'm surprised." Seto walked into the room and over to the windowseat.

"Y-Yeah," Mokuba chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, at least he cleaned it up. . . ."

"Thank God for small favors," Seto deadpanned. Sobering, he continued, "Are you alright, kid? I know it's been a bizarre night. And what happened in the Shadow Realm must have dredged up a lot of unpleasant memories for you."

Mokuba looked away. "It did," he admitted. "And now I'm just confused. I don't know how to feel about Lector anymore, Seto."

"That makes two of us," Seto frowned. "I didn't think I could ever forgive him any more than any of the rest of the Big Five. But he saved you tonight, and according to what you said, he saved you in the past as well. Although he should have done more." His eyes narrowed. "But what he did still saved your life."

Mokuba nodded. "But he didn't come back with us. Do you really think he'd willingly stay in the Shadow Realm?"

"I can't imagine anyone _willingly_ staying in the Shadow Realm," Seto retorted.

"Yeah. So now I'm worried wondering if Khu held him back," Mokuba said. "He should've been able to pass through the barrier, since he didn't mean us any harm."

"Maybe he still meant me harm and that's why it didn't work," Seto said. "He admitted he still hates me."

"He thinks he does, anyway." Mokuba frowned. "I don't know. . . . I wish he could have made it out too."

"I know." Seto laid a hand on his shoulder. "Well, if there's one thing I've learned from Yugi Muto besides friendship, it's that no one ever seems to go away forever. All the people hurt in those 'Shadow Games' came back. Yami Bakura came back. Even the Pharaoh came back. And on the downside, Yami Marik came back and the Big Five came back. I doubt we've seen the last of Lector."

"Maybe not." Mokuba looked up at him. "I wonder what he'd be like if he came back. I wonder if he'd be able to get back in his body or anything like that."

"After all these months, he'd need therapy to be able to use his body again," Seto said, "so he'd be occupied with that for a while." He looked out at the night. "I don't think I'd trust him back in KaibaCorp. Not unless he could convince me he's over his hatred and would be willing to play by my rules, not Gozaburo's."

"That's totally understandable," Mokuba said. "I feel the same. But maybe you could help him find another job or something. Anonymously, even."

"Maybe. We'll think about it more if it happens." Seto stepped back. "You've had a long day. You should get to bed."

Mokuba nodded. "I'd like to. But . . ." He turned, looking at the unfinished homework on his desk.

Seto looked too. "There's no sense trying to finish that tonight. I doubt you'd be able to concentrate. But you'll need to get to it tomorrow."

"Right." Mokuba beamed, then hopped down from the windowseat and hugged Seto. "Thanks, big brother."

Seto returned the embrace. "Sure." He knew Mokuba meant it for far more than delaying the homework.

"Oh, and Seto?" Mokuba looked up at him. "You said Yugi taught you friendship. Do you think of him and the others as friends now?" Hope shone in his eyes.

Seto started. ". . . Yeah," he said. "I do."

Mokuba's smile widened even more. "That's awesome! You should let them know."

"I guess I should." Seto was thoughtful now. "Only I have no idea how to actually broach the subject. 'Hey, Yugi, I just wanted you to know we're friends'?" He grimaced.

Mokuba laughed. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Seto! You always do."

Seto smiled a bit. "Thanks, little brother."

xxxx

Across town, at the KaibaCorp Infirmary, a comatose patient's eyes snapped open.


End file.
